August elements

It's the first Friday of a new month so over at Daring Cardmakers that means an "elemental" challenge - just use at least three elements of the inspiration picture to kickstart your project.

It’s my turn to provide the picture this time and I put together a little montage of objects to photograph. I intended to make something light and summery but my supplies had other ideas!

In the end the elements I chose were white line art on a black background (from the book at the bottom), leafy stem, two circles (inspired by cup and saucer) and rectangle (inspired by the books). The leafy stem is die cut from a piece in my scraps pile that had Brusho colour on it. 

Stamps:

Sketchy leaf from a set by Sheena Douglass

Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:

Black

Bristol board 

Brusho coloured scrap

Ink:

Versamark by Tsukineko 

Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:

Embossing powder by Wow (Bright White)

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Wildflowers 1 dies

Altenew Fine Frames circles die

Fineline marker

Here's the inspiration picture, we'd love to have you join us over at DCM!

Power of three

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week. As it’s the anniversary of the birth of Alexandre Dumas, I thought we might celebrate The Three Musketeers by featuring threes on our projects this week.

I opted for three circles and three dots of Enamel Accents on a masculine birthday card. I got some toned grey paper for Christmas having seen some lovely pencil colouring done on it and I’m ashamed to say I’ve only just had a first play with it! I’ve opted for more of a simple sketch book look, too.

Embossing adds some textural interest for a limited colour palette. I inked the folder so there’s a bit extra shading going on, too. I still had the pearlescent watercolours out on my desk from last week's card so I spattered some gold on the panel before sticking down the elements.

Stamps:
Antique Engravings and Say It All (both Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Toned grey (Strathmore)
Bristol board 

Ink:
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Smokey Gray)

Other:
Coloured pencils (white and two greys)
Charcoal pencil
Circles dies by Spellbinder
Fine frames circle die by Altenew
Stitched rectangles A6 dies by Paper Rose Studio
Shell Beauty M-Bossabilities by Spellbinder
Metallic gold pen
Metallic gold paint
Enamel Accents by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by, please do continue to take care as we ease out of lockdown and, if you’re in England, don’t forget your mask from today if you’re heading out to the shops!

Let’s go to Mexico!

It's Svenja's turn to set our challange over at Daring Cardmakers and she’d like us to be inspired by Frida Kahlo and/or Mexico. I guess we won’t be travelling for a while so we can craft our own vacations instead!

There’s a fabulous portrait of Frida Kahlo with hot pink lilies in her hair and looking at it reminded me of one of the very first stamps I bought (I’ve had it since at least 2007). It’s an unbranded grey rubber stamp, I believe the same image turned up later in a Graphic 45 set. I did doctor the eyebrows a little with a fineline marker, just to up the Frida factor!

I’m afraid the foil and metal flakes made this a horror to photograph but you probably get the idea. The sentiment was cut from double sided tape and foiled with a little roll I’ve had for over 25 years! I wish I’d placed it just a bit higher, closer to the image, but you live and learn. The ginkgo leaf was just hanging about on my desk and seemed to fit the sort of opulent feel so got added.

Actually, this turned into an older supplies fiesta, the gold paint splatters are made with pearlescent watercolour paint I bought years ago as a cheapo version of Twinkling H2Os - from The Works if I remember rightly.

Stamps:
Woman with flowers (unbranded)

Paper:
Bristol board 
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Ginkgo leaf die (Impression Obsession)
Phrase Set 2 (Spellbinder)
Gold gel pen
Pearlescent watercolour paint
Double sided tape
Gold foil
Mega Flake by Indigo Blu (Chariot of Fire)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are all safe and well.

Deckchair stripes and sunny spots

Kathy is setting our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers today - the theme is deckchair stripes and sunny spots so of course my mind turned to... Christmas! Anything with stripes or spots or both works for this theme, you can make your own or use something already striped or spotted!

I got these penguins in the same package as last week’s tentacle die and since their hats and scarves are striped and spotted I thought they’d fit this challenge nicely and bag me my first Christmas card of the year! As I’m pushing my luck with Kathy in any case since it’s a Christmas card in July I thought I ought to up the stripe factor with a background stamp.

Jo’s Christmas Kickstart has just moved into the phase of the year where it becomes fortnightly and the theme is “hats” so I figured the bundled penguins worked for that, too.

Stamps:
Bundled Penguins (Stampendous)
Canvas Stripes (Hero Arts)
Sentiment put together from a couple of sets (Hero Arts and Waltzingmouse Stamps)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Momento Luxe by Tsukineko (Love Letter)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Tracing wheel
White enamel accents by Ranger 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

July's elements

It's the first Friday of a new month so it's time for an "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers - just choose at least three elements of the inspiration picture to include in your project.

The lovely Svenja provided a fun and quirky mood board for us this month, from which I chose a tentacle, tickets, sequin waste circles (and the implied sequins!) and some of the colours.

I'd been tempted by this tentacle die in the past but seeing Svenja's mood board this month finally made me cave in and get it - it was cheap and it makes me smile!

Stamps:
Ticket Counter (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour
Black
Orange
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pool and Stream)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed)

Other:
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)
Twisting Tentacle die (Memory Box)
Stencil (Memory Box)
Sequins

Here's our inspiration photo this month:

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

Link in the chain - June

It's reveal time at Card Chain Challenge - mine is winging its way to Dawn in New Zealand this time.

From the options for June I chose the theme (beach) and sort of followed the sketch. As the card needed to go half way round the world it’s a single layer to keep it light and flat for airmailing - masking is always a useful technique when you want a “layered” image without actually using layers!

I used a stiff stencil brush to stipple various light brown and yellowish inks to give the sandy strip the appearance of some texture

Stamps:
Antique Engravings and Color Layering Waves (both Hero Arts)
Seaside (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Scattered Straw, Tea Dye, Tumbled Glass)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Latte)

Other:
Copic markers 
Brown fineliner 
White paint pen by Posca

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe.

Let's go 3D

It's Dawn's turn to set our challenge this week at Daring Cardmakers and she's asking us to go 3D - make a bag or a box!

I always find myself wanting different ways to present gift cards come Christmas so I had a go at a pop up box and made it Christmassy!

I particularly liked the idea of adding a little extra, so I used this tutorial. I found a stash of Bazzil cardstock recently so picked out Limeade for a slightly brighter take on Christmas colours.

I did tweak the the tutorial as I added an extra bit so there's a divider towards the front to tuck the little extra into. I love her idea of the tube of Rolos but you could substitute other chocolate or sweets or something like a lipstick or mascara for a girlie gift I reckon. I also punched a half circle thumb hole to make the lid easier to open and clipped the back corners of the lid into a slope.

Slide the ribbon off, open the box and ta-da! (An old NT membership card is standing in as body-double for a gift card here).

Stamps:
Noel (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Holly (Freebie magazine stamp)

Paper:
Bazzil (Limeade)
Deep red
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Crimson Red)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Labels die by Spellbinder
Circle punch by Fiskars
Red Spica glitter pen
Stitch tags dies by Waltzingmouse Stamps
Red gingham ribbon

Thanks for stopping by, take care and stay safe if you are somewhere where restrictions are easing.

A little glamour

We could probably all do with a little glamour in our lives right now, I suspect there's a lot of leisure wear, pyjamas and quite a few bad hair days going on! Ruth has set today's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers and the theme is glamour - whatever makes you feel like a movie star!

I made a card for a friend who is a musician. She sometimes plays for shows so a stamp called "Show Girls" seemed like a good idea - I was lucky enough to win a Lost Coast challenge a while ago and chose this stamp as part of my prize, I think these girls are great fun! My friend loves purple and although she's unlikely to be caught in this sort of outfit, she does love a bit of glamour (more usually in the form of nail polish, make up and a shiny or sparkly dress).

The girls are stamped and masked then a couple of purple inks smooshed on using a piece of acetate. A bit of simple copic colouring, a few sequins and a doodled grounding finish it off.

Stamps:
Show girls (Lost Coast Designs)
Birthday (Letter It range by Ranger)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress and Oxide by Ranger (Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet)

Other:
Copic markers
Sequins
Black fineliner
Corner Chomper

Hope you are keeping safe and well, whever you are. Thanks for stopping by!

June Elements

As it’s the first Friday of the month it must be an “elemental” challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. Kathy has chosen our inspiration picture this time and it’s very summery indeed! Just chose at least three elements to include in your card.

I picked a drink with a slice of lemon and mint leaves, gingham pattern, a handwritten-style sentiment and yellow/green.

Although this stamp come with dies, I decided I didn’t want the white “halo” round the image this time so cut it out with scissors as it’s a reasonably easy shape.

Stamps:
Cocktail Time (Crafters Companion)
Birthday (Letter It range by Ranger)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Gingham ribbon
Corner Chomper 
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)

Inspiration picture:

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

Keep it in the family

It's my turn to set this week's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. It's World Family Day today so I chose the topic of "family". When I chose the topic I had no idea that it would have extra poignancy as many of us are not able to see our families at the moment because of the lockdown restrictions.

I chose a stamp that has “family” in its name and I reckoned that maybe we could all do with a bit of owlish wisdom to help us through the tough times.

Stamps:
Owl Family (Crafty Individuals)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour 

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Vintage Sepia)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Blueprint Sketch, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade)

Other:
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are staying safe and well.